“Living on without questioning” – historical-witness discussion with Giselle Cycowicz

She was born in 1927 in Czechoslovakia as Gisela Friedmann. One year before the end of the war, in May 1944, Gisela Friedmann got off the train at the ramp to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her father was sent to a forced labor camp, the mother, her sister and she in barrack 16 of the C-camp. Until October 1944, the women managed to stay together, then the daughters were transported to the labor camp Mittelsteine, the mother remained in Auschwitz. The father was gassed on October 7th, 1944. The sisters experienced the liberation near Weisswasser behind the Oder and then returned to Chust, where her eldest sister and mother were waiting for them. After emigrating to the United States in 1948, Giselle realized her dream and studied psychology. Even today, at the age of 90, she looks after other survivors of the Shoah and helps them to process their memories. She says about Sabine Adler’s book: “The world should know about it and patients should feel that the world is interested in them.”

We talk to Giselle Cycowicz about her experiences during National Socialism, but also afterwards as a trauma therapist for Holocaust survivors and their offspring. The event will be moderated by Sabine Adler, journalist and author of the biography of Giselle Cycowicz “Weiterleben ohne Wenn und Aber”, which will be published by Aufbau Verlag in August.

Note: The event is aimed exclusively at school classes and accompanying teachers.

This event will be in German.

We look forward to your participation and ask you to register until 31.08. via e-mail.

By attending the event, our audience agrees that the photos taken there may be used for publicity purposes.